Separation
by YourMatch
Summary: It is the summer after Dumbledore's death. Ginny and the others worry about Harry as he searches for the final Horcruxes...
1. The Summer After

**Disclaimer: **I do not own anything that has to do with Harry Potter, nor do I have any association with J.K. Rowling.

**AN: **Despite how it may appear at first,this is not going to be a story about Ginny mutilating herself/turning into a Goth/committing suicide. I'm not like that and I doubt that she would be either. Please read and rate, but I will continue writing regardless.

**Separation**

She felt no sting as she dragged the sharp tip of the quill over the smooth skin of her left forearm. The ache within her heart was so great that it numbed the pain. Unaware of anything but her own thoughts, she pressed the quill tip deeper as she traced his initials over and over - 'H.P."

Ginny Weasley had known for a long time that she would need to be the strong one. Her brother, Ron, was Harry's best friend and did enough worrying for all of them. It seemed that every time she and Ron were together, he had a new question for her. Had she heard from Harry yet? What is he up to now? Why isn't he returning any owls?

However, within the privacy of her own room, accentuated by the charm-proof lock that Fred and George had installed, Ginny could allow her emotions to run freely. She no longer had to worry about sympathetic smiles from her mother, or the horrible "I-told-you-so" looks from Ron, who had never been comfortable with Harry dating his little sister. Two weeks ago, he had caught her crying silently over one of Harry's old spell books when she thought that no one was around. He had wasted no time in telling her that she should have never gotten together with Harry - that _he_ had known that she would somehow get hurt.

"Harry would never hurt me," Ginny reminded herself, "He is only trying to protect me from Voldemort and the Death Eaters. Besides, it's not like he has found anyone else – he's too busy saving the world."

The sudden thought of Harry in red tights and a flowing cape made Ginny break into a smile and realize what she was doing to herself. She snatched the quill away from her forearm, and stared at the letters, quite visible on her pale skin. It had not been her intention to harm herself – she had only meant to express how much he meant to her, how much she missed him.

Tentatively, Ginny stroked her raw skin. It only stung a little. With luck, it would fade before she forgot about it and unintentionally showed it to one of her family members – or even worse, Hermione.

Hermione, Harry's other closest friend, was staying with the Weasleys for the summer. She and Ginny had become very close, and there was no one that Ginny trusted more. Hermione was the only person who knew why Ginny occasionally locked herself in her room for hours on end. Surprisingly, everyone else pretended to believe Ginny when she said that she was studying for all that time, trying to get a head start on her sixth year workload.

If Hermione discovered that Ginny had begun to self-harm, regardless of its severity, she would never let her alone. She would likely suggest that they sleep in the same room, so that she could keep an eye on her. Come to think of it, she would probably want to sleep in the same _bed_ –

"Ginny! Supper's ready!" Ginny's thoughts were yanked back into the present by the voice of none other than Hermione, right outside her door.

"I'll be right down!" Ginny replied, trying to keep her voice level as she rose from her bed and tossed her quill on to her bedside table.

She was careful to grab a long-sleeved sweater before opening her door and heading to the nearest washroom. She held it over her arm as she passed Ron, heading for the stairs in the opposite direction.

"How's the studying going?" asked Ron mischievously as he brushed by her. Without even waiting for an answer, he leaped down the stairs.

"How come you didn't use Apparition to get downstairs?" Ginny yelled petulantly after him, knowing that he had still not mastered the common art of disappearing and re-appearing in another place.

She closed the washroom door behind her and quickly pulled on the sweater. She then proceeded to turn on the tap. Mrs. Weasley had become especially particular about sanitation as of late. Ginny, Fred, and George had joked about curses living on unclean hands, at which Mrs. Weasley blushed a deep scarlet and muttered something about it "being possible". Of course, this was free license for Ginny and the twins to tease her even more.

Ginny let out a yelp of pain as the hot water hit the tender skin. When she looked down, she noticed that the initials had turned a bright, sore red. 'H.P.'

"I did it for Harry," Ginny whispered to herself as she gently pulled her sleeve down over the marks.


	2. The Letter

**AN: ** _Sorry for taking so long on this one. Things should be quicker after school ends! Enjoy, and review!_

Ginny was the last person to enter the kitchen. She took her seat between Hermione and Ron, careful to avoid anyone's gaze.

"Is Dad working late again?" Ginny asked casually, scooping mashed potatoes on to her plate.

Mrs. Weasley glanced over at the clock on the wall. Although all nine hands (each one representing a member of the Weasley family) had been pointing at the "Mortal Peril" label for many months, old habits were difficult to break.

"I imagine so," she replied, unnecessarily. Mr. Weasley had been late to every meal for over a week. In fact, he often arrived home long after everyone was in bed, at which time he had difficulty deciding whether he needed sleep or food the most.

Silence fell across the table. Even Fred and George were too busy eating to talk or joke. Ginny ate slowly, remembering how dinner used to be more enjoyable. Members of the Order of the Phoenix used to drop by every night for Mrs. Weasley's delicious cooking, and they always had stories to tell and news to pass on. There had been no guests to dinner for weeks – everyone was too busy chasing down Death Eaters.

Ginny had to admit that she even missed Fleur, her new sister-in-law. During her engagement to Ginny's oldest brother, Bill, Fleur had managed to get on the wrong side of every member of the Weasley family. However, when Bill had been bitten by a werewolf, Fleur was still determined to go through with the wedding. Her decision to marry Bill despite his newly acquired wolfish characteristics completely erased any previous negative thoughts about her.

True, Fleur was still quite vain (but rightly so, considering, she was part Veela) and she still could be trying at times. But at least she always had something to say at the dinner table.

Mrs. Weasley seemed to think that the silence had gone on long enough. "Has anybody heard from Harry lately?" she asked briskly.

Ginny, who had been in the process of swallowing her forkful of turnip, choked and coughed into her napkin. A sharp intake of breath was heard from Hermione, and Ron muttered, "Not again!"

"Well, it _has_ been quite a while since his last letter," Mrs. Weasley said, "How long has it been exactly? Ginny?"

"Two weeks," she whispered, unable to keep her voice completely steady.

"And what was in his last letter again?" Mrs. Weasley asked delicately, looking at Ron.

"Mom, you know that it was only for Ginny!" Ron glared at her from across the table.

"Yes, but she still hasn't told us his news, have you, dear?" Mrs. Weasley looked at Ginny.

"There probably wasn't a lot of actual _news_ in it, to tell you the truth, Mom," Fred interjected, snickering slightly. Ginny grabbed at this chance to lighten the subject.

"Yeah, exactly," she said, forcing a laugh, "But, you know, he said he was going to be busy and, um… that was about it! Anyway, I'm full!" She pushed her chair out and stood.

"Alright, put your plate on the counter," Mrs. Weasley said gently, realizing that she had indeed struck a nerve in her daughter.

"Actually, I'm full too," Hermione said, "Ginny, why don't we go practice some of your new spells in my room?"

"Sure," Ginny replied, sensing that practicing wasn't the only thing on Hermione's mind.

"Hey Gin, what about Quidditch later?" asked Ron as Ginny and Hermione put their plates on the counter next to the sink.

"Maybe I'll let her play if her spell work is good enough!" Hermione chirped back at him as they headed out of the kitchen.

Neither of the girls said a word as they climbed the stairs and entered Hermione's room.

"Oops, my wand is downstairs," Hermione said airily, "I'll be right back." With that, she left the room.

Given this blissful moment of peace, Ginny sat on Hermione's bed and looked at her surroundings. Bill's room had certainly changed since Hermione had moved in. Gone were the posters of goblins and Quidditch; gone were all of Bill's medals and certificates for various accomplishments. Gone was the amount of clutter that can only be achieved by a teenaged male.

The bookcase that used to hold Bill's trophies and magazines now held many leather-bound spell books, dusted daily. A cushioned basket sat in the corner for Hermione's ginger cat, Crookshanks. On the night table was a framed photograph of Harry, Ron and Hermione, taken in the summer after their fourth year.

"He looks so young!" Ginny thought, edging along the bed to pick up the photo. The three figures in the photograph waved merrily at her from one of the stone benches in the Weasley's garden. Ginny sat, mesmerized by Harry's green eyes, clearly visible in the bright sunlight spilling over his face.

"I'm back!" Hermione burst into the room, wand in hand, to see Ginny bent over the photo.

"Before we start, though," she continued, "Take that thing out of your pocket."

"What's that?" Ginny asked dazedly. She was unaware of _anything_ being in her pocket.

"The letter!" Hermione said, her voice sounding exasperated, "You can show me, can't you?"

Ginny slowly put her hand into her pocket and immediately felt the folded parchment. She had forgotten that she had shoved the letter there after reading it. She handed it to Hermione.

"Some parts are really stupid," she mumbled as Hermione unfolded it.

"Dear Ginny," Hermione began reading aloud, "I know things have probably been really hard for you but I'm afraid that it's probably going to only get worse. You know how I feel about you and I hope you will never forget that I only want to protect you, and the others. I can't say much but things are going to get a lot more dangerous from now on and I won't be able to write very much, if at all-"

Ginny appeared to suddenly become fascinated by the texture of Hermione's quilt.

"- so this might be my last letter, at least for a while." Hermione's voice became quieter as she read, "I think about you every day, how beautiful you are, how funny, how sweet. Please remember, even when you feel really upset, that you are the only one I feel this way about-"

Hermione trailed off, her eyes reading ahead as her face reddened. Ginny cleared her throat twice and blushed furiously.

After a few seconds of awkward silence, Hermione continued with another section of the letter, "Letters that you might get from me after this will probably seem really business-like and unfeeling but that's the way it has to be. If they fall into the wrong hands, or get intercepted, bad things could happen to you and the others. Goodbye for now and let the others know that I won't be writing as much. I love-"

The last line was cut off by an abrupt sob. Hermione looked up from the letter to see Ginny bent over with her face in her hands. She quickly folded up the letter and put it into her own pocket.

"I'm sorry, Ginny," Hermione whispered tearfully, putting her arms around her friend, "I didn't mean to upset you with this." Ginny looked up at her with tear-filled eyes. Unexpectedly, she laughed. Hermione stared at her.

"It's really alright," said Ginny, sniffing loudly, but smiling, "You're the only person who I can cry in front of in this house without feeling like an idiot."

Hermione gave her a watery smile back, "Well, I wouldn't be too keen on bawling either in front of your brothers… or even your mom." Ginny gave another sob-like chuckle.

"I just think about him all of the time," she said to Hermione, "I wish that I could stop worrying!"

"We all worry," Hermione whispered assuredly, "I think about him a lot too. I know Mom really misses him. And Ron, I know that he does too. Even Fred and George-"

"I know," Ginny said, "But I can't help feeling that I miss him the most out of everyone."

Realizing what she had just said, she tried to recover, "I mean, we all miss him, but-"

"No," Hermione quieted her, "I know it would affect you the most. And I can't believe how brave you've been."

Ginny nodded, not knowing what to say any more.

"All we can do is hope that he isn't getting himself into too much trouble," Hermione continued, "I'm not sure how well he can function without his friends- and girlfriend- to help him out."

"Girlfriend on hold," thought Ginny, but she decided not to say anything more.


	3. A Shot in the Dark

**AN: **_Surprise, a new chapter! I really cannot stand to leave anything unfinished, so I will slowly but surely be continuing this story. Please read and review, it makes me want to keep going. Enjoy!_

Ginny lay in the darkness, staring silently up at the ceiling. Troubled thoughts whirled through her mind, just as they had been doing for the past few nights. Even an hour and a half of Quidditch practice with her brothers had done nothing to settle her.

_Where_ was Harry? _What_ could he possibly be doing? Ginny knew that he was searching for the infamous Horcruxes, but how did he even know where to start? With Dumbledore gone, it seemed impossible for Harry to have the guidance he needed for such a dangerous task. He could hardly just walk down a random London street, knocking on doors and asking residents if they happen to be in possession of a certain cup. Or… something that might have belonged to Ravenclaw. No Muggle would even know who Ravenclaw was.

Frustrated, Ginny sat up in bed. Everyone else in the house was probably asleep, dreaming untroubled dreams.

"Oh Harry," Ginny whispered to herself, feeling her eyes moisten once again. Her immediate reaction was to feel disgusted with herself. What had she become since Harry had left? A sniveling, pathetic girlfriend who had more than enough time on her hands to act sorry for herself. She thought back to what Hermione had hinted at earlier- of _course _everyone else was worried about Harry! They knew him just as well, if not better than she did. She may have lost her boyfriend, but Ron and Hermione had lost their best friend, Mrs. Weasley had practically lost a son.

Overcome by emotion, Ginny bent forward so her head rested on her knees. A tear stubbornly ran down her face before she could wipe it away. More followed it, and she made no effort to stop them. She sat that way for a long moment, crying silently in the darkness.

Then, suddenly, her head snapped up. A small object had just hit her window.

Cautiously, Ginny edged over to the window's edge, just as another pebble bounced off of the glass. She peered down into the dark backyard, unable to see clearly. She was barely able to make out a figure waving emphatically at her.

"Who are you?" Ginny whispered to herself. Perhaps it was a Death Eater? But surely a Death Eater would not throw pebbles and wave around; preferring instead to waste no time and blast the entire house to smithereens, killing its inhabitants.

Hoping that no one would wake up and catch her in the act of being heedless, Ginny pushed her window open. Her vision was slowly adjusting and she was able to better see the figure below. It appeared to be wearing a hooded black cloak- not a very identifying feature, as most witches and wizards wore cloaks. However, it was no longer waving. It stood quite still below her.

Ginny, as she had on numerous occasions, swung her legs out of the window and supported her body weight on the wooden ledge beneath her. She had to turn backwards to climb down, and therefore felt a bit worried that the person below might use this opportunity to hurt her.

However, she made it safely down to the lawn below, and swiftly turned to face the mystery person.

He or she was gone. Ginny glanced quickly about the yard, now quite visible in the light of the half moon. There were shadows all around - the person could be hiding practically anywhere. Feeling a bit shameful about her recklessness, Ginny turned to quickly climb back up to the safety of her room, but before she could do so, a flickering light appeared just beyond Mrs. Weasley's bed of pansies.

The silhouette of the witch or wizard was holding a wand, from which the light came. Ginny drew her own wand and whispered "Lumos" to ignite her own light. She cautiously approached the figure, her bare feet becoming wet in the dewy grass.

The figure was moving backwards now, toward the garden shed at the side of the garden. Ginny continued to follow, wanting to yell, "Who are you?" She restrained herself, not wanting to alarm him or her.

Finally, Ginny and the figure were behind the shed. Now there was nowhere else for them to go. Unable to control herself any longer, Ginny asked quietly, "Who are you and what do you want?" At the same time as she took a swift stride towards him- for she could now tell, it was a 'him'- he pulled the cloak away from his face.

Now only inches apart, Ginny looked up into the eyes she knew so well, their greenness still visible even while reflecting the orange flame hovering above her wand.

"Harry!"


	4. The Decision

**AN: **_I'm so pleased with myself for popping out another chapter (excuse choice of words). Perhaps this will make up for future slowness. Please note that this chapter is kind of sappy, owing to the mood I was in when I wrote it, but I hope you like it! Review please, I'd like to know where I'm going wrong (or right)._

A smile spread across Harry's face as Ginny looked up at him in shocked silence. She wanted more than anything to jump on to him and kiss him, but she was unable to. Her arms remained paralyzed at her sides; her mouth seemed incapable of opening. Harry appeared to be having the same problems. They simply stood staring at each other.

Without warning, Harry took a swift step forward. Ginny overcame her stationary state and finally threw herself into his open arms. He hugged her so tightly to his chest that she could hardly breathe. However, she ignored this temporary lack of oxygen in order to focus on more important things.

After what seemed like a week but was probably less than a minute, they both pulled back. Ginny looked up once again at Harry. She had to say something –anything, to let him know what it meant to have him with her after so many heartbreaking weeks.

"You're…taller than I remembered." She said in a strangled half-whisper. Taken aback by what had just come out of her mouth, she blushed and prepared to redeem herself with a more romantic speech.

"Taller than you are, anyway," Harry smiled at her, "That's not saying much." With that he bent down to kiss her.

Ginny had been fantasizing about Harry's return to her for weeks. She had expected that, if and when the time came, they would come together in a passionate kiss that would produce some sort of fireworks in her brain. This kiss was nothing like that- only it was far better. His lips were so warm on hers, and so gentle. Despite having been separated for so long, she knew exactly what to do. The only descriptive word that came to her mind in that instant was "natural". It felt as if they had never been apart.

When they finally parted, both Ginny and Harry were smiling radiantly. Harry moved his hand from her waist to tenderly stroke her cheek.

"I came tonight for a reason," He finally said. He gestured towards a nearby bench, and they both sat down.

Ginny looked searchingly at his face. After the initial shock of seeing him right in front of her, she could now see changes in him. His eyes looked hollow, his entire face appeared somber. She smiled slightly upon realizing that his hair was messier than she had ever seen it.

"I think that I'm really close to finding another Horcrux." Harry continued.

"How?" Ginny asked, slightly louder than she had intended, "How did you know where to even start looking?"

"I've had help," Harry admitted, "Lupin and Moody have been searching as well. They know more people and can get into more places than I can."

Ginny nodded intelligently, but said nothing.

"The thing is…" Harry continued, "They've become even busier than before with the Order. Even though they admit that finding Horcruxes is a priority, they've decided to focus on… er… other things. For now."

Taken aback, Ginny opened her mouth to speak.

"So, the reason I'm here right now," Harry continued, cutting her off, "Is that I need some else who can help me. Someone who knows all about the Horcruxes, who knows what it's like to face Death Eaters and Voldemort. Someone who I can trust with my life." He looked at her pointedly.

"You mean… me?" Ginny asked, slightly stunned.

"Yes, I mean you," The smile returned to Harry's face.

"But what about Ron and Hermione," Ginny interjected, "You can trust them too. And I thought you said that you and I should…. be…"

"Separated," said Harry, nodding, "That's how I thought it had to be at first. I was afraid that Voldemort would harm you in order to get to me. But, Ginny, I've come to realize… he probably already knows. About us."

"That's what I always thought," Ginny said, "I mean, we were together before the school year ended, Malfoy saw us, there's no way that it was a secret. It would've had to get back to Voldemort eventually."

"Exactly," Harry agreed, "But I still thought I could protect you. It was more hoping than anything."

Not knowing what to say, Ginny put her hand over his.

"I think that I would be safer with you than I would be anywhere else," she said quietly, with a small tremor in her voice. She felt his hand tremble slightly under hers.

"Ginny, this will be dangerous," Harry said, "I want more than anything for you to come with me, for you to help me with this. But if you do, you will be taking a huge risk."

Silence fell in the dark garden as Ginny contemplated her choice. Which was worse? To be with her beloved Harry and face a dangerous task, or to stay at home, never knowing if Harry was safe. To her, there really was no decision to be made.

"I don't think I could handle being away from you for one day longer," she said, just as she felt her eyes begin to moisten. Embarrassed, she looked down at her hand in Harry's, and attempted to blink away the tear. Here she was, crying again!

"Ginny," The compassion in Harry's voice forced Ginny to look up, "I love you. You can't imagine how much I've missed you."

"Yes I can," Ginny gave a watery smile at his words, "I have a feeling that I've missed you just as much." Suddenly, she was laughing, and after a short pause, Harry joined her.

Harry pulled her close to him and rested his cheek upon her head. Ginny fully recognized the challenges ahead, but in that moment, she was unable to feel any fear. She closed her eyes, content to hear the sound of Harry breathing above her and nothing else.

And then- "I guess you'd better go get ready." Harry whispered in her ear.

Ginny looked up.

"What should I bring with me?" She asked.

"Anything you like," Harry replied, suddenly serious, "But we do have to get out of here soon."

"Why? Don't you want to see Ron and-"

"I would, but…" Harry trailed off as he stood up slowly.

Worried, Ginny stood up and turned him around to face her.

"But what?" she asked.

"Don't be frightened," Harry said, "It's only that… I know I'm being followed."

"Followed?" Fear rose in Ginny's chest.

"Yes, but don't worry," Harry tried to reassure her, "They're slow, very slow. And I know what I'm doing. I know where we are going next."

Comforted by the way Harry said "we", but nevertheless still a bit disconcerted, Ginny turned to sneak back up to her room. She was going to bring only the bare essentials. After all, Harry was the only thing she truly wanted with her.


End file.
